


Only By Chance

by finkpishnets



Series: Nothing Like The Prequel [2]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-06 09:45:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/417468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finkpishnets/pseuds/finkpishnets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You jumped out of a car going seven miles an hour,” Doctor Bane says. “Unfortunately stupidity isn’t something I can cure.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only By Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to [Nothing Like the Prequel](http://archiveofourown.org/works/315163). For the au_bingo prompt ‘medical’. I'm considering making this a larger verse, but until then there's this.

“Before you ask,” Simon says, hands raised defensively, “it was not my fault.”

Jace rolls his eyes and looks passably calm considering his boyfriend’s currently propped up in a hospital bed with his arm in a sling and a bruise the size of Australia across one eye. Alec would be impressed if he weren’t so annoyed at having to spend his Saturday night in the ER with his pseudo brother and the one person he apparently finds interesting enough to tolerate in a romantic fashion. 

Alec _really_ doesn’t get it.

“You jumped out of a _car_ ,” Jace says. “Explain to me how that wasn’t your fault?”

“Eric was drunk - which I totally didn’t realize when I took him up on the ride home so stop looking at me like that – and then he decided to drive into the creek. So, you know, I jumped.”

Jace crosses his arms over his chest. “And yet Eric doesn’t have a scratch on him, the car’s only suffered a minor dent, and you’re here with a broken arm looking like you’ve found your life calling as a pirate.”

“Eric’s okay?” Simon says, apparently choosing to ignore everything else Jace has said. Alec assumes that’s how their relationship actually manages to work. 

“For now,” Jace says, eyes narrowing, and Alec resigns himself to making sure Jace doesn’t do something stupid. It’s pretty much a full time job, and if he’d hoped that Simon would help mellow Jace down then he’d been sorely mistaken. Not that he’d ever thought Simon could mellow _anyone_ down.

“If there’s going to be violence, you’re definitely in the right place,” someone says, and it’s only then that Alec realizes they’re not actually alone in the room. 

“Oh,” Simon says cheerfully, “this is Doctor Bane. He’s pretty much spent the last four hours mocking me. I’m trying to decide whether he got his medical degree on the internet or slept with his professor.”

“You jumped out of a car going seven miles an hour,” Doctor Bane says just as happily. “Unfortunately stupidity isn’t something I can cure.”

“I’m pretty sure my boyfriend’s bedside manner is better than yours,” Simon says, “and that’s really saying something."

Jace frowns. “Hey!”

“Oh,” Doctor Bane says, “you’re dating _that_ one? I would have gone for the pretty one myself.”

Alec can feel himself blushing as Jace lets out a sound of protest, and it’s not like Doctor Bane _means it_ , is obviously just saying it to get a rise out of Simon, but it makes him feel awkward in his own skin anyway.

“Well,” Simon says, “if you’ve tormented me enough, can I get out of here?”

Doctor Bane flips through the chart at the end of Simon’s bed and signs the bottom.

“Yep,” he says. “Tragically I’m going to have to cope without your witty diatribes.”

“Aw,” Simon says, “it’s nice to know you’ll miss me, doc.”

“If you two have finished flirting…” Jace says, and Alec tries not to smile at the jealousy in his voice but Doctor Bane catches his eye and he can’t help it, ducking his head so that Jace doesn’t see and proceed to bitch at him the whole ride home.

Simon stumbles a little as he gets out of bed and Jace catches him, wrapping Simon’s arm around his shoulders even as Simon protests that he was just a little lightheaded from lying down so long. Alec’s pretty sure it’s just an excuse for Jace to cling without looking needy.

“I should really call a parent to take him home,” Doctor Bane says. “Someone over eighteen…”

“Oh,” Alec says, blinking. “I’m eighteen. Uh, do you need to see my ID?”

“No,” Doctor Bane says, shaking his head with a grin. “That was actually just my attempt at working out if you’re legal or not.”

Alec can feel his face flushing, and he has to focus on putting one foot in front of the other so he doesn’t trip walking out of the room. He can hear Doctor Bane laughing behind him, and he mostly just wants to leave, to find the others and get out of here before he makes a fool of himself, but he can see Jace and Simon at the end of the corridor, heads bent close together, and suddenly he doesn’t want to run.

“I’m Alec, by the way,” he says, turning around. “Alec Lightwood.”

Doctor Bane smiles, and it’s not the light, mocking grin that he’s been sporting since he walked in the room but something real and aimed solely at Alec. “Magnus Bane,” he says, and Alec nods.

“I like coffee,” he says before he loses his nerve. “Just, uh, if you did too…”

“Yes,” Magnus says, eyes glittering. “I like coffee.”

“Great,” Alec says, relaxing a little. “One thing though.”

“What?” Magnus says, writing his number on a scrap of paper and handing it over, and Alec programs it straight into his phone, catching Magnus’ smile out the corner of his eye.

“Don’t ever call me pretty again.”


End file.
